


Symbols

by Lerine



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Sea-salt family, i love my children, post-kh3, pre-release
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-13
Updated: 2019-05-13
Packaged: 2020-03-02 19:26:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18817441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lerine/pseuds/Lerine
Summary: "At that moment, in the arms of the people who he had entrusted his heart to, Isa felt truly at peace, and he felt certain that whatever trials the future held for him, he would always have them by his side, just as they would always have him, as well."My piece for "The Ties That Bind" zine organized by Destiny and Nova!





	Symbols

**Author's Note:**

> The fanfic has been proof-read by Destiny.  
> You can find this and many other wonderful pieces from art to fanfics in "The Ties That Bind" zine!  
> It's free and you can find it here https://gumroad.com/l/mduAr

After Xehanort’s defeat, things slowly but surely settled out.

It was unanimously decided that, at least for a while, it would be better if everyone stayed together at Destiny Islands to rest and heal up.

It had been strange for everyone, going back to some sort of “normality” after all that had happened, and some of them were still struggling.

Roxas and Xion were coming to terms with being their own people again. Terra was trying to forgive himself for everything that he thought had been his fault.

Aqua’s nightmares about being trapped in the darkness were beginning to fade, while Ventus was trying to help Vanitas cope with the flurry of feelings that he was just now letting free.

Sora, Riku, and Kairi, too, had their share of feelings to sort out.

Everyone had things to deal with, but thankfully none of them were alone.

However, there was someone who was struggling more than the others, and that person was Isa.

His guilt was so deep-rooted in his heart that not even Lea had managed to help him. There was also the matter of Lea’s own guilt for not having been able to see what was happening to Isa sooner.

He was just about to go and look for him when the door to the little apartment where they were staying opened and two excited teens came in, chatting and laughing.

“Hey Ax—Lea!” greeted Xion. She scratched the back of her head, her expression sheepish. “Sorry, I think it will take me a bit to get accustomed to the name change.”

Lea chuckled. “I guess you memorized it too well, huh?”

“It would have been impossible not to,” chimed in Roxas.

Lea smiled and went to ruffle their hair and give them both a kiss on the forehead.

“So, what have you two been up to today?” he asked.

Roxas and Xion exchanged an excited glance.

“Close your eyes!” they said in unison.

Lea was taken aback for a moment but did as he was told. He felt one of them take his wrist and something being put around it.

After a minute, he heard Roxas say, “Okay, you can open them now!”

He looked at them and then at his wrist, which was now adorned with a braided bracelet. It was of different shades of red and had two charms attached to it: a sea-salt ice cream and a paopu fruit.

Lea brought it a little closer to his face to have a better look.

“Do you like it? We made it with Kairi’s help!” said Xion. “And look!” She and Roxas showed him their wrists.

Both of them had the same bracelet they just gave him, only in different shades of colors: Xion’s was purple, while Roxas’ was orange.

Lea kept glancing between his bracelet and their faces. After a while, he opened his arms and signaled for them to come closer, and when they did, he hugged them tightly.

“I love it,” he said. He was trying so hard not to tear up that his voice came out sounding a little more feeble than he had intended.

Roxas and Xion smiled in the embrace.

When they separated, Roxas asked, “Where’s Saï—Isa?”

Xion chuckled. “At least I’m not the only one getting confused.” Roxas playfully pushed her, and she laughed again.

“I’m not sure. At this hour, he’ll probably be at the beach,” Lea said.

“Thanks! We’ll be back soon!” said Roxas, then he and Xion went out again.

Lea stayed still a couple of seconds, then took another look at his new bracelet. He put his wrist close to his heart.

‘These kids will be the end of me,’ he thought, a fond smile on his face.

 

* * *

 

 

Roxas and Xion rushed to the beach, and once there, scanned it for Isa.

“Over there!” Xion pointed in the direction of the paopu tree where Sora, Riku, and Kairi would usually sit.

Isa was sitting in front of it and was looking at the sea.

He heard footsteps approaching and turned to see who it was. When he saw Roxas and Xion, his eyes widened in surprise, but he didn’t say anything.

His heart ached.

“Hey…” Xion said, waving her hand a little, “…can we sit with you?”

Isa nodded, then went back to watch the waves crash on the shore.

Roxas and Xion sat beside him on opposite sides. They stayed silent for a while, watching the waves.

The air was salty and full of unspoken words. Roxas spoke first, cutting through it.

“Isa…I…” he took a deep breath. “Look, what happened while we were in the Organization…” He stopped for a second.

It was the first time since the last battle that he had brought up that topic.

Isa turned to look at him. His eyes were expectant. he was worried about what Roxas would say next. His heart ached more.

Roxas made a little smile, and Isa recognized it as genuine. “It’s in the past,” he finally said. “It was a particular situation for all of us. You weren’t exactly yourself, and even if there was still a part of you saying and doing certain things… that’s fine.”

Isa kept watching him. This time, it was Xion’s turn to speak.

“I think that too.” said Xion. Isa turned to her and his eyes softened a little. He had been so unkind to her, as well. He regretted it now. He regretted a lot of things.

Xion took one of his hands in hers, and when he didn’t make a move to pull back, she continued talking.

“What Roxas and I mean is that… we forgive you. For everything you feel guilty of, we forgive you, and more than anything, we want you to forgive yourself because you deserve a second chance as much as everyone else.”

Roxas put a hand on his shoulder and nodded in agreement.

Isa’s heart swelled with emotions, and the first words he spoke up since the beginning of the conversation were full of gratitude and hope. “Thank you.”

Roxas and Xion smiled widely.

Then Roxas said, “Oh, right! We have something for you!”

Isa blinked in surprise.

“Close your eyes!” said Xion. Isa complied, and felt her gently taking his wrist and putting something around it. “You can open them now!”

When he opened them and looked at his wrist, he saw a braided bracelet around it. It was of different shades of blue and was adorned with a sea-salt ice cream charm and a paopu one.

“It’s a special bracelet. Only we have it. And Lea, too, of course,” explained Roxas. “We made it as a symbol of our friendship!”

Isa couldn’t help but tear up a bit, but before Roxas and Xion could misinterpret his reaction as him being upset, he spoke again, “This is… wonderful. I...”

He was trying to find the right words to express his gratitude, but in the end, he went for actions instead of words and brought them in a hug.

That was the first time they had seen Isa so emotional, and they felt happy to be able to see that side of him. They hugged him back and stayed like that for a while, the sun going down behind them.

When they disentangled from the hug, they all had tears in their eyes.

Isa wiped at them away. “I think it’s best if we go back now, it’s getting late.”

Roxas and Xion nodded and they all stood up together and walked back to the apartment.

 

* * *

 

 

When they got back, Lea greeted them. He had been a little worried since the kids had been gone for a while, but he tried not to show it.

“Hey! You’re finally back! I thought you had gotten lost or something,” he joked.

“Sorry…” said Roxas, “…but look!” He and Xion tugged at Isa’s sleeves.

“Show him!” said Xion excitedly.

Isa raised his arm and showed Lea his bracelet. Lea smiled and showed him his, then Roxas and Xion did, as well.

Lea thought that there was something so right and wonderful in seeing all of them together. No arguments, no misunderstandings, no hatred, no grudges.

It was exactly as it should have been.

He opened his arms and asked, “Group hug?”

Roxas and Xion went for it immediately, with Isa following soon after.

 

At that moment, in the arms of the people who he had entrusted his heart to, Isa felt truly at peace, and he felt certain that whatever trials the future held for him, he would always have them by his side, just as they would always have him, as well.


End file.
